Google Ads may pause your account for manager violations

Google Ads can pause individual accounts linked to Manager accounts that violate third-party policy. Carefully vet who manages your campaigns.

Google can now pause individual Google Ads accounts that are linked to Manager accounts violating the third-party policy, according to its updated Help Center guidance. This move has major implications for advertisers and agencies alike.

What’s new. Google’s updated policy clarifies that if a Manager account (MCC) is in violation of the third-party policy, any linked individual accounts may be paused. To resume serving ads, advertisers must unlink their account from the violating Manager account. Google will notify affected users via in-account and email alerts, with steps for how to proceed.

Why we care. This change means your ad account could be penalized by association, even if your individual account hasn’t directly violated any policies. It raises the stakes for who you choose to manage or oversee your Google Ads campaigns.

Why it matters to you:

  • Brands must vet agency and partner MCCs more carefully.
  • Agencies with multiple clients risk broader account disruption if policies are violated.
  • Advertisers need to monitor all account relationships, not just their own compliance.

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About the Author

Anu Adegbola

Anu Adegbola has been Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more.

In 2008, Anu started her career delivering digital marketing campaigns (mostly but not exclusively Paid Search) by building strategies, maximising ROI, automating repetitive processes and bringing efficiency from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership both on agency, client and marketing tech side. Outside editing Search Engine Land article she is the founder of PPC networking event - PPC Live and host of weekly podcast PPC Live The Podcast.

She is also an international speaker with some of the stages she has presented on being SMX (US, UK, Munich, Berlin), Friends of Search (Amsterdam, NL), brightonSEO, The Marketing Meetup, HeroConf (PPC Hero), SearchLove, BiddableWorld, SESLondon, PPC Chat Live, AdWorld Experience (Bologna, IT) and more.